WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue men's tennis team welcomes Francisco Stuardo Vargas as its new assistant coach. He brings two years of professional coaching experience to the Boilermakers' staff.
"I am really excited to be a part of Purdue University," Stuardo Vargas said. "The tennis program here is amazing, and I'm dedicated to preparing our athletes for the Big Ten Conference. My goal is to win the championship."
As a professional coach, Stuardo Vargas saw his two prized pupils, Hans Podlipnik-Castillo and Andrej Martin, take to the Olympic court this summer in Rio de Janeiro. Podlipnik-Castillo qualified in doubles for Chile, and Martin played in both singles and doubles for Slovakia.
Under Stuardo Vargas' direction, the duo also won five pro circuit doubles titles together and were runners-up at the Santiago Challenger in 2015. That same year, Podlipnik-Castillo and Martin competed on the grandest of tennis' stages - the French Open, the US Open, and Wimbledon. Podlipnik-Castillo also earned a gold medal in doubles at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada.
"Hans and Andrej are two of the best players in their respected countries," he said. "It was such a rewarding experience traveling around Europe and South America as I coached them in challengers, grand slams, etc. I plan to use all the knowledge I gained from the professional tour here at Purdue."
Head coach Pawel Gajdzik recognizes the immediate impact Stuardo Vargas' addition will have on the team.
"Adding Francisco to the Boilermaker family sends a strong message that our program is not only designed to develop great scholars and outstanding citizens, but also designed to help our players bridge the gap between college and professional tennis," Gajdzik stated. "Francisco is an outstanding, well-respected coach, and I look forward to working with him as we continue to build toward winning a national championship for Purdue."
